2015 ACCOUNTING NEWSLETTER Cal Poly Orfalea College of Business
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In the News
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Student Success
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Faculty Excellence
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Outstanding Alumni
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How to Give Back
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The Accounting Area MESSAGE FROM ACCOUNTING AREA CHAIR DOUG CERF
AREA BY THE NUMBERS
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I’m thrilled to reach out to all Cal Poly alumni at this exciting time of growth in our college Students enrolled in and our program. As you may have heard, undergraduate and graduate the Accounting area has made big strides to accounting programs amplify its resources for students, faculty, alumni and industry partners. We continue to build our Learn by Doing student projects, the undergraduate and graduate programs, and the Cal Poly Accounting Club to live up to the reputation that Tenured or tenure-track faculty our program has earned. The Accounting area is working on a variety of fronts to double the number of quality CPA-eligible students who graduate from Cal Poly and make an impact on the profession. Our first step was to welcome Executive Director for Accounting Excellence Sheri Boscaro on Jan. 12. Together, Cal Poly Accounting Club we’re making progress toward our goals, including sustaining and growing Members our excellent faculty and connecting with more Cal Poly accounting alumni throughout California and the nation. We look forward to seeing and hearing from you in 2015, especially during upcoming events like Day in the Park on May 16. Firms attending Fall Symposium Doug Cerf
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Upcoming Events FEB. 19, 2015
MAY 16, 2015
NOV. 5-8, 2015
CAL POLY ALUMNI NETWORKING MIXER
Join the San Jose/ San Francisco Chapter of the Cal Poly Alumni Association as they host a local mixer with the university’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Orfalea College of Business Dean Scott Dawson will also be on hand at the event hosted at Boost VC in San Mateo. RSVP here: goo.gl/zb5F9J
SAVE THE DATE CPAC DAY IN THE PARK
Each May, the Cal Poly Accounting Club holds a Day in the Park for alumni, students and industry. The event includes a barbecue, games and casual networking on the O’Neill Green. This is an ideal time to come back on campus, reconnect with fellow alumni, and enjoy the Central Coast in spring. To register, contact Sheri Boscaro at sboscaro@calpoly.edu.
SAVE THE DATE HOMECOMING 2015
Mark your calendars for Cal Poly’s Homecoming celebrations on Nov. 5-8 in San Luis Obispo. Enjoy tailgating, tours and student demonstrations while reconnecting with faculty and fellow alumni. Visit Cal Poly’s Homecoming website for details: www.homecoming.calpoly.edu.
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In the News SHERI BOSCARO NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR ACCOUNTING EXCELLENCE The Orfalea College of Business recently welcomed industry veteran Sheri Boscaro as the executive director for accounting excellence. She will be responsible for building external support for the program’s goals and bolstering relationships with key stakeholders, such as the accounting and consulting firms that hire Cal Poly students. Alongside Accounting area Chair Doug Cerf, she will work directly with the college’s Accounting Advisory Board to help evolve Cal Poly’s accounting program in step with growing industry demand for quality accounting talent.
“Sheri “Sheriwill willalso alsoplay playaacritical criticalrole rolein inconnecting connecting the hundreds of accounting alumni who work in professional service firms and in industry,” Cerf said. “Her “Herwork workwith withour ourindustry industrypartners partnersand andalumni alumniwill helphelp ensure thatthat Cal Poly remains a university of of will ensure Cal Poly remains a university choice for recruiting accounting professionals.”
The Accounting area’s primary goal is to graduate 200 CPAeligible students per academic year by 2017, roughly double the number of graduates the university prepares today. To accommodate more students, the college will gather support for additional tenured faculty fellowships and increase student volume in its bachelor’s and graduate degree programs specializing in tax and financial accounting. The college also plans to add an accounting minor to allow students majoring in other disciplines to complement their studies with accounting expertise. “I am excited to have this unique opportunity to apply my passion in accounting for the benefit of such a prestigious program,” Boscaro said. “I look forward to helping build a sustainable future for the accounting program that has a measurable impact on the profession.” Boscaro has more than 16 years of experience in accounting and leadership roles. She began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving to K2 Inc. and then Cardiogenesis Corp. in Southern California. After moving to San Luis Obispo, Boscaro led the financial statement assurance department as audit manager of Longcrier & Associates CPAs. Most recently she served as chief financial officer at MGE Underground Inc.
Student Success STUDENTS AND FIRMS GATHER IN RECORD NUMBERS AT FALL SYMPOSIUM The Cal Poly Accounting Club (CPAC) hosted its annual recruiting fair, the Fall Symposium, with record attendance by students and local, regional and national corporations. The event, now in its 27th year, welcomed 43 firms to campus, including the “Big 4” accounting firms, regional accounting firms, and corporations such as Clorox. Local accounting firms, such as Glenn Burdette and Longcrier & Associates also recruited for internship and associate opportunities. Roughly 300 accounting, finance and information systems majors in the Orfalea College of Business attended the event. According to Michelle Bissonnette, CPAC’s faculty leader, this was the largest Fall Symposium in the club’s history in terms of student and corporate participation, with more than 200 professionals attending, including many Cal Poly alumni.
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Student Success (cont.) LITC CELEBRATES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY This January, Cal Poly’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) celebrated its fifth anniversary. Under the direct supervision of Orfalea College of Business faculty, LITC student advocates help represent lowincome taxpayers involved in controversies with the Internal Revenue Service and educate the local community on the rights and responsibilities of U.S. taxpayers. Students provide personal consultations, educational collateral and legal documents in English and Spanish, all at no charge.
“I sincerely appreciate the time you spent providing a swift solution for achieving a positive and final outcome. I especially appreciate your constant kindness and non-judgmental approach. Thanks to the help of your staff and your clinic you have, in a sense, saved my relationships and my life.” – LITC CLIENT
Since its inception in 2010, LITC has helped 2,880 clients throughout California through education and direct assistance in tax court. The LITC team has saved clients almost $1.2 million in fines to the IRS. In many cases, LITC advocates help significantly reduce or eliminate a tax fine for taxpayers by organizing their documents properly, filing the right documents to rectify outstanding controversies, and establishing feasible payment plans that will prevent future penalties. More than 160 students have participated in the program, earning valuable experience working with different types of tax cases.
LITC is a university-sponsored service-learning project created to give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to work with underserved communities while enhancing their professional skills through Learn by Doing. This is the only clinic of its kind in the region, according to accounting lecturer and LITC Director Lisa Sperow. Cal Poly is the first academic LITC without a law school to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Tax Court and have its student accountants and legal staff assist unrepresented taxpayers during trial sessions. Students work under the direction of Sperow and clinic founder Eddy Quijano. Cal Poly has attended four calendar calls at the Federal Court in Fresno, Calif. since May of 2013. Cal Poly’s LITC began operating in 2010 through the generosity of Chevron Corp. and a grant from the Internal Revenue Service Taxpayer Advocate Service. For more details on LITC, visit www.litc.calpoly.edu.
MASTER’S PROGRAM FEATURES INDUSTRY SPEAKERS Cal Poly’s Graduate Tax Guest Speakers Series continues to welcome industry leaders and successful accounting alumni back to campus to share their insights with master’s degree candidates and faculty. Since 2012, the seminars have covered an array of sophisticated tax topics ranging from partnership hedge fund allocations to reverse section 1031 exchanges. The series is specially constructed by PricewaterhouseCoopers Faculty Fellow Rodney Mock to feature leading tax practitioners with different backgrounds and perspectives. Speakers include partners from top accounting firms and boutique firm executives from the Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and the Bay Area. David Hering, KPMG partner, speaks to accounting students
For a full list of speakers or to inquire about speaking opportunities, visit mba.calpoly.edu/ms_tax_speaker_series_schedule.html.
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VITA EMPOWERS STUDENTS TO PREPARE TAXES FOR LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS Nearly 100 Cal Poly accounting students will prepare tax returns as part of the annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program sanctioned and coordinated by the Internal Revenue Service and California Franchise Tax Board. The IRScertified students will prepare the returns, including 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, 540, 540A and 540EZ forms, while Orfalea College of Business faculty and volunteer CPAs will review and file them. The program helps community members and students with annual incomes less than $53,000 avoid unnecessary fees and tax preparation costs before the April 15 filing deadline. From January through March, students staff Cal Poly’s VITA clinic on campus. Cal Poly also partners with the United Way of San Luis Obispo County and the United Way of Northern Santa Barbara County to staff clinics in Grover Beach and Santa Maria. This year’s program is led by accounting lecturer Hilda Zacarias with the help of lecturer Trisha Anderson. CPAs Michelle Curry (B.S., Accounting, 2007) and Ashley Woodring (B.S., Accounting, 2006) of Radakovich, Shaw & Blythe LLP have volunteered to help review returns in this year’s clinic. The Orfalea College of Business has been hosting VITA clinics continuously since 1992. Cal Poly business students also hosted tax preparation clinics in the 1970s. The clinics give students valuable hands-on experience preparing returns, interacting with clients, and helping underserved communities while completing their senior projects. In the last 23 years, students have prepared more than 15,000 tax returns. For a list of locations, dates and hours of operation, visit www.cob.calpoly.edu/vita.
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Faculty Excellence CAL POLY ESTABLISHES THE EARL KELLER SCHOLARSHIP FUND Professor Earl Keller has become a pillar of Cal Poly’s accounting program, teaching thousands of its graduates since 1987. Many students remember him as “Killer Keller” for commanding the discipline’s most difficult courses during his 28-year tenure. In that time, Keller touched the life of almost every accounting student at Cal Poly, always sharing insights from his experience as an auditor, a controller and a consultant during litigation cases for the Securities and Exchange Commission, Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae, American International Group (AIG) and even on cases involving the now-defunct Enron. Much of Keller’s life has been devoted to inspiring students and providing guidance to policymaking agencies to promote the accounting profession. With his retirement effective this spring, Keller’s Cal Poly legacy will be honored with a scholarship. Thanks to a founding contribution from Keller himself, the scholarship will benefit students pursuing a Master of Science degree in accounting at the Orfalea College of Business. You can honor Keller’s legacy by supporting that scholarship and future generations of Cal Poly accounting students. Contact Sheri Boscaro at sboscaro@calpoly.edu or give online.
A SALUTE TO MICHELLE BISSONNETTE After 16 years at Cal Poly, accounting lecturer Michelle Bissonnette plans to retire at the end of winter quarter. Bissonnette has served as the faculty director for the Cal Poly Accounting Club since 2010. Under her guidance, CPAC has grown considerably. The club now welcomes dozens of top accounting firms to events like Fall Symposium and Careers in Accounting Day, which lead to internships and jobs for many students after graduation. After retirement, Bissonnette plans to devote her time to her vegetable garden and traveling to places like France with her family. She says she’ll continue serving on the board of CalCPA and planning activities for its local chapter.
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DEBRA WACKER RETIRES AFTER 26 YEARS AT CAL POLY Accounting lecturer Debbie Wacker has retired from her lecturing duties at Cal Poly after 26 years. Outside of Cal Poly, Wacker runs her own accounting practice and is en route to earning her master’s in tax from Golden Gate University.
STEVEN MINTZ RANKED FOR ACCOUNTING EDUCATION AND ETHICS RESEARCH A 2014 survey published by the journal Issues in Accounting Education ranks Cal Poly No. 32 overall for research in accounting education over the past six years. The same survey also ranked Steven Mintz, accounting professor in the Orfalea College of Business, No. 41 for scholars publishing in the field of accounting education since 2008. The publication surveyed top industry research journals to rank the universities and scholars with the greatest contributions to the discipline. Mintz has been honored throughout his career for his research in accounting. In a 2010 survey published by Research in Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting, Mintz ranked No. 5 for coauthor-adjusted articles in business-ethics journals and No. 2 for specific accounting ethics journals. The research also ranked Mintz No. 7 for his research in sole-authored publications and No. 4 for co-authored publications.
Outstanding Alumni ACCOUNTING ALUMNI RETURN AS EXECUTIVES IN RESIDENCE In fall 2014, the Orfalea College of Business launched its Executives in Residence program, welcoming a series of business leaders to campus to work with students and faculty. The program plays a big role in the college’s career readiness objectives by giving students an insider’s perspective on different career paths as they prepare for graduation. Alumnus Scott Cooper, WaveTec’s chief financial officer, returned to Cal Poly last fall to speak in accounting classes.
During these visits, executives like accounting alumni Scott Cooper, Mark Vranesh and Barry Waitte spoke in accounting classes, took questions from students during roundtables, and discussed industry trends with faculty who shape curriculum. More visits are planned for 2015, including accounting alumni Steve Giusto (1985) and Shari Moore (1989). For more details, visit www.cob.calpoly.edu/directory/ executive-residence/.
RON LOPES TO JOIN DEAN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL Ron Lopes, alumnus and longtime Accounting Advisory Board member, accepted an invitation to join the Orfalea College of Business’ Dean’s Advisory Council. Lopes is currently a partner at KPMG and has been involved with the Accounting area’s leadership for 12 years. Lincoln Clark, also a partner at KPMG, will succeed Lopes on the Accounting Advisory Board.
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How to Give Back
GIVE BACK TO THE ACCOUNTING AREA Cal Poly’s Accounting area is one of the few programs that premier accounting firms look to each year for the best graduates. This is your opportunity to support the advanced hands-on education each accounting student receives by giving back to the Orfalea College of Business. To give a gift directly to the Accounting area, visit: goo.gl/rPdBfv.
MEET YOUR MATCH Many accounting firms will match charitable contributions to the Orfalea College of Business’ accounting program. See if your employer will match your gift and double your impact at Cal Poly!
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STAY IN TOUCH ACCOUNTING FACULTY Area Contact Info Building 03, Room 403 805-756-1543
Faculty Doug Cerf
Area Chair
SAY HELLO 1 Grand Avenue San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0399 (805) 756-1543 cob.calpoly.edu
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Bradford Anderson Lee Burgunder Brian Burnett Chris Carr Li Dang Herbert Hunt Earl Keller Tad Miller Steven Mintz Rodney P. Mock Jeffrey Tolin
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